49ers notes: Dislocated finger, Washington can’t slow Aldon Smith

After a second-quarter hit on Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III on Sunday, Aldon Smith ran to the sideline with the tip of his left middle finger bent at an awkward angle.

“It was pretty weird looking,” the 49ers outside linebacker said.

The digit was dislocated but wouldn’t be for long. Smith said he popped it back in place with his right hand and was back on the field two plays later. Dr. Aldon Smith, orthopedic surgeon?

“Yeah,” he said with a smile. “Life after football.”

The dislocation was one of the few things that slowed Smith, whose first start of the season came against Washington’s rookie left tackle, Morgan Moses. Smith finished with two sacks and made two other hits on Griffin, who was sacked five times. Last season, the 49ers sacked Griffin six times, two of them by Smith.

“He took some pretty good hits – I’ve seen the look on his face,” said Smith, who admitted he was surprised that Griffin got to his feet after all of them. “But he’s a tough guy. He’s a competitor.”

Smith had a bandage on the tip of his finger after the game but said it wasn’t an issue. In fact, one of the few silver linings for a player who was suspended for the first nine games is he doesn’t have the litany of sprains, bruises and aches his counterparts are dealing with in late November.

That will be particularly relevant this week as the 49ers get ready for a Thursday matchup against the rival Seattle Seahawks.

As forecast by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio last week, the 49ers used a rotation at outside linebacker against Washington. Smith and Ahmad Brooks started the game with rookie Aaron Lynch splitting time on the left side with Brooks during the second half.

Lynch was credited with one sack and had another taken away by a roughing-the-passer penalty in the third quarter. Brooks, who was benched last week after a sideline spat over playing time, finished with three tackles and recovered a fumble at the end of the game when defensive end Justin Smith sacked Griffin and knocked the ball free. Brooks dropped to the ground as soon as he secured the ball, allowing the offense to end the game with a kneel-down.

“Last week, I was selfish,” Brooks said. “This week, I was selfless.”

Smith got the lion’s share of the snaps among the team’s outside linebackers.

“I thought he looked really sharp,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Had a great game. (His) speed was there, his power. You can see him not just striking; he was moving people. He was getting the edge. He was explosive. Thought he did a fine job.”

Brooks’ benching last week allowed Smith to play 54 snaps against the Giants, more than what Fangio was planning for the linebacker’s first game back from suspension. But the additional snaps allowed Smith to regain his rhythm, something he said started to occur in the late third quarter against New York.

That continued against Washington, although Smith cautioned he doesn’t feel as if he’s fully back to normal.

About This Blog

Matt Barrows was born in Blacksburg, Va., and attended the University of Virginia. He graduated in 1995, went to Northwestern for a journalism degree a year later, and got his first job at a South Carolina daily in 1997. He joined The Sacramento Bee as a Metro reporter in 1999 and started covering the San Francisco 49ers in 2003. His favorite player of all time is Darrell Green. Reach Barrows at mbarrows@sacbee.com.
Twitter: @mattbarrows